


oceans

by stephenssupreme



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 10:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14692320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephenssupreme/pseuds/stephenssupreme
Summary: Everyone is hurting after Thanos' attack, however, some are more pained than most[ this fic includes infinity war spoilers ]





	oceans

**Author's Note:**

> the title of this fic is the same as a song by Seafret - Oceans  
>    
>  _'I want you_  
>  _Yeah I want you_  
>  _And nothing comes close_  
>  _To the way that I need you_  
>  _I wish I can feel your skin_  
>  _And I want you_  
>  _From somewhere within'_

Weeks had passed since Thanos’ attack and honestly, no one was quite the same. Lives had been lost and quite frankly, so had everyone's hope. Even with the events behind them, each hero that fought that day carried a heavy burden of pain and suffering which would stay with them for life. Nights spent wide awake, unable to close their eyes just in case the Titan came back to haunt them. One man suffered more than most, though… Not that anyone noticed. But could you blame them? Everyone was too busy trying to hold themselves together to notice the pale, dark eyed sorcerer growing weaker and weaker by the day.

 

His frail hands were now held in permanent fists to ease the pain, nails harshly digging into his palms. It wasn't just his hands that hurt though: his whole body felt as if it was on death's door. Of course, Stephen being Stephen, tried his best to keep up a respectable and reliable appearance, though with gaunt features and prominent veins creeping their way up his neck… It was beginning to be a difficult task. Another hindrance was that he was being forced to stay at the Avenger’s compound for a while until the group devised a fail safe plan to protect Earth from future attacks and maybe, just maybe, bring back those who they had lost. While Stephen dealt with this, Wong made sure to guard the Sanctum, but he couldn't help but worry about the man he had grown to call his friend. He'd usually see Stephen daily and spend most his hours within the man’s reach but to be without him was… Odd to say the least.

 

“Doctor Strange, any input?” Asked Rhodey who was sat across the long table, arms crossed as he leant back in his chair.

 

They had been in this ‘meeting’ for what seemed like days and everyone present, despite their best efforts, looked bored out of their mind and fed up with the repetitive notions that kept circling the room.

 

“Hm, no. I think you’ve covered most of it.” Stephen had indeed been listening to the conversation that surrounded him but with a mind numbing headache worming its way through his mind, he could be excused for not actually taking much of what was said in properly.

 

“Right, that's settled then… Same time tomorrow?” Everyone around nodded in agreement to Rhodey’s question, small sighs of annoyance being covered up by the sound of chairs squeaking across the floor as people began to stand up and leave. Stephen was yet to shift.

 

It was Tony that stuck around, sat halfway down from the sorcerer, pretending to be going through his notes as people said their goodbyes for the day. Once it was just the two of them left, he pushed the bundle of notes away from him and stood up, walking over to sit nearer to Stephen who was gazing over his shoulder and out the window.

 

“Something caught your eye, Strange?”

 

“Just… Thinking. You know, we're so lucky to simply look out a window and see such a beautiful word right there in front of us" He turned to face Tony, forcing a smile that still looked undoubtedly exhausted.

 

“I guess you're right. We're lucky to have _anything_ right now.”

 

Silence fell over the two. Neither looking directly at each other or away from each other. What broke it, was Stephen quickly lifting his hand and spluttering out a chesty cough, his eyes fixating on his palm as he pulled it away. Great. Blood. He was about to hide his hand and wipe it on the underside of his tunic but Tony was just quick enough to grab his wrist and witness it.

 

“Stephen… How long have you been like this? Not to offend you but, uh, you've been looking like shit recently and that's coming from _me_ ; the mentally unstable insomniac.”

 

“It's nothing. I'm fine. It's normal.”

 

It wasn't though. It was true, all magic had a price to pay and often that was a price of your own physical suffering. It wasn't unusual for Stephen to feel extreme fatigue after a mission or throw up for hours on end… But it usually passed amd Wong was usually there to help him through it. Nothing had lasted _weeks_ though. Nothing lingered like this and had constant deterioration. He swore he could even feel his eyesight getting worse but he assumed that was simply due to the lack of sleep. It had to be.

 

“Stephen, man, coughing up blood isn't normal, even for wizards.”

 

“No. Trust me.. It--" Stephen cut himself off by coughing again, though this time the substance that came out his mouth was thick and black like tar. “Fuck…”

 

Knowing something serious was up, Tony instinctively took Stephen's arm in his hands like they had done many other times when helping each other up from a fall. This time Stephen had fallen _bad_. “Come on, let's get you to the med bay, Strange.”

 

“No!”

 

“What do you mean: _no_?!”

 

“They can't help… This… This is sorcery, Tony. This is what sorcery does to you and you _saw_ how much I used the time stone before… This my payment for using such powerful magic.” As much as he protested against help, Stephen knew he didn't have much more hope - his lungs felt heavy and tight and since it was only Tony there, he allowed the pain to show on his face. Clenching his eyes shut, the man shivered out a groan, reaching out to hold onto Tony just to know that he was still there for him.

 

“I’m not losing you, Strange. Come on you grumpy old man, look at me and tell me you’re just going to give up like this. Do it.” Tony found himself shaking the sorcerer, pleading with him to just do something. It may have been selfish to think like this but Tony couldn't stand losing another person. Losing Peter almost threw him over the edge so to lose Stephen - a man he was just starting to enjoy being around - as well? It would be no stretch to say it would break his heart.

 

Stephen, through the pain, managed to open his eyes but what Tony saw instead of pupils shocked him to the core.

 

They were black. All black. Oozing almost and spilling out of his sockets.

 

“Tony… I can't see… O-oh gods.”

 

“Stephen… What the hell is happening?” Tony was no expert but he shakily put his hand over Stephen's eyelids and shut them, pulling the man into a protective embrace. It was like he had already accepted the fact that he was losing Stephen there and then. He had no idea why but losing Stephen felt like losing a loved one and his absence would be something he carried around from that point on. Why? Why did it feel that way when they had only known each other for not even a month? He knew why, of course he did. He was always falling for the wrong people at the wrong times and Doctor Stephen Strange just happened to be that person. It was stupid, really. It wasn't as if Stephen felt the same way and even if he did… It would be too late, right?

 

All this time, Stephen didn't answer Tony’s question. He get sat there, slumped over and leaning into the man’s chest, discretely listening to his heartbeat. Never had he heard a heartbeat so loud yet… So afraid. It wasn't even comparable to the heartbeat if patients he had treated. There was certainly something different about Tony and it was surprisingly conforming. _If_ he was wmto die there that very second, he would have found it a privilege to die in _this man’s arms_.

 

Alas, dying could wait. There was still one hope after all.

 

Thankfully he found the strength to push himself upright a but, supporting his own body weight enough to prove this wasn't quite the end of Stephen Strange as the world knew it.

 

“Get me to the Sanctum. There might be a way…”

 

Tony nodded, quickly getting up from his chair, tapping his chest piece to commence the formation of his suit around himself.

 

“Oh, one thing, Tony…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Don't go falling in love me.” Just as Stephen said that, the Iron Man suit covered his face, just masking the slight gasp from the man. It was a good job Stephen couldn't see right now because Tony was stood there speeches and the last look on his face before it was covered was one of… Love. Fuck. This was really happening.

 

“I couldn't if I tried,” Tony spat back, lying through his teeth. “I just need you alive because you still haven't made be a balloon animal yet - that was all I ever wanted from you, Strange.” Both men laughed a little despite the situation they were in - typical of them, honestly.

 

With time of the essence, however, Tony soon scooped the frail man up in his arms, shocked to find that the cloak allowed him to do all the work. Trusting him.

 

A single request to F.R.I.D.A.Y was all it took to open one of the large windows, Tony flying out of there and off to Greenwich Village as fast as he could, keeping a tight grip on Stephen while the cloak zoomed off ahead, probably going off to warn Wong of their approaching arrival.

**Author's Note:**

> btw for the case of me writing for this ship, yes, stephen survived thanos' attack, however, his is the only death i'm planning to change


End file.
